Ginger is a pepperroot. It graces our desserts with its unique aroma, it gives a spicy note to our cocktails and adds delicious flavour to our meals. The thing about ginger is, that it is quite a large root and we can’t use the whole thing at once in our food. But that’s a good thing. A little piece of ginger goes a long way if it’s taken care of properly.

Make the right choice!

You are about to purchase some giner. Take a piece, bring it to your nose and sniff. If it has a strong, spicy, ginger scent, continue your examination. Look a the skin. It should be nice and smooth, without any black spots. Give it a squeeze. If it’s soft, put it right back where you found it and pick another piece!

The right way to clean it. Be gentle!

Don’t you dare pick up a knife! Take a spoon and start scraping lightly. It’s the easiest way, and you don’t waste any part of the flesh; plus the root remains uninjured.

Proper maintenance!

There are various ways to maintain your root in good condition, and thus, getting the most use out of it.

1) I prefer the method that was taught to me by my first teacher, Christoforos Peskias. Chop up the ginger and put in a jar with olive oil , stick it in the fridge and it’s good for months. If you like, add the same amount of chopped up garlic and a little chile pepper, and you’ve got a ready made mixture for sauteing whatever your heart desires. Good for 3-4 months.

2) If you prefer keeping the whole root intact, wrap it in a paper towel with it’s skin, put it in a paper bag and in the fridge it goes. Good for 1-2 months.

3) If you don’t use it all that often, it’s better to stick it in the freezer. You can put it whole, wrapped in saran wrap, or in a tuper. But for easier access chop up the ginger and divide it into small portions ( about two tsp. ) on a pan with wax paper. Put the pan in the freezer until ginger is frozen and then put each portion in a little bag. Good for 1-2 years.

In other words, be good to your ginger and your ginger will be good to you by adding lots of zest in anything you cook.